'Shafiq can win runoff only by rigging'

Early results show Egyptian presidential candidate Mohammed Morsi has won 78 percent of the country’s expatriate votes.
The preliminary results come as ballots are being counted in 55 countries, five days before the country’s presidential runoff.
Polls show that Muslim Brotherhood’s Morsi is ahead of former Egyptian premier Ahmed Shafiq.
Reports also show that former Muslim Brotherhood (MB) member, Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, who was also previously running for presidency has endorsed Morsi.
Press TV has conducted and interview with Adel Lotfy, writer and journalist from London, to further discuss the issue.
The video also offers the opinions of one additional guest: Waleed el-Haddad, member of Freedom and Justice Party from Cairo. What follows is an approximate transcript of the interview.
Press TV: There has been this realignments in terms of who is behind who after the verdicts were announced in terms of Mubarak and his sons, etc. and of course we can mention some of the other developments.
Tell us, these political realignments, how does it stand? Party-wise, we can mention for example the Nour Party who is backing Morsi; give us some more examples.
Lotfy: I think the situation is very much in favor of Morsi right now. It’s foregone conclusion that all the Muslim or Islamic groups would go in support for Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood in general.
There is no doubt about that but the weight of the state is behind Ahmed Shafiq and the trouble is that everybody is confused and the mainstream public opinion and the revolutionary masses are very much against both.
They love and dislike and distrust both candidates. So that is not really a good sign whoever wins but for sure, as you said, the al-Nour Party or the Islamists would give their votes to Mohammed Morsi.
On the other hand, I would say 10 percent of the voters who are Christians would give their vote to Ahmed Shafiq, not because they love him; they love him like the Muslims do, but they want the civil state and they want safer hands because Ahmed Shafiq is a good administrator.
Unlike the Muslim Brotherhood, they have shown themselves until now as chaotic and cowboy politicians, besides the Islamist parties have got members in a very short time who have got involved in sexual and corruption cases. So that is not saying much about the Islamist movements.
Press TV: Adel Lotfy, Do you think that Mohammed Morsi will win more than 60 percent of the votes?
Lotfy: Yes, it makes sense to me that Morsi would get more than 60 percent; however, both parties used rigging and bribery but in the final stage, the hand of the state would play the major role and rigging and bribery but especially rigging would get Shafiq the post and he will be the next president of Egypt.
Press TV: What do you mean? When you talk about bribery and rigging, they are two different unlawful things to do. Give us some examples so that I can bring our guest and back what you are saying or go against what you are saying.
Lotfy: But it has happened already and until now [it is not a secret].
Press TV: Ok, the Muslim Brotherhood, what are they accused of? You are saying they are accused of one of those two, give us an example.
Lotfy: Yes, I mean the Muslim Brotherhood, men and women, were distributing sugar and tea and home food supplies to hundreds of thousands of people on camera; that is nothing new and rigging has got Ahmed Shafiq where he is. I mean the Muslim Brotherhood has got 80 years.
Press TV: Adel Lotfy, there is a smear campaign going on between Shafiq and Muslim Brotherhood. Let us talk more about this. One: Shafiq is accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of being involved in attack on protesters during that famous battle of the camels. What is your reaction to that?
Lotfy: The Muslim Brotherhood has got blood on their hands but not as much as the state, maybe one percent, ten percent at most not even ten percent, two to three percent of the blood because of their collusion with the Military Council. They are allies and they are still allies with the Military Council.
Press TV: Adel Lotfy, these smear campaigns can work against the candidates like Shafiq accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of being part of the former regime.
Do you not think that is going to perhaps lose some votes when it comes to Shafiq making that accusation?
Lotfy: They certainly are and they are still part of the regime. I mean if you are the opposition, the corrupt opposition of a regime, so you are a part of the regime and they are still allies of the Military Council and even Ahmed Shafiq will need them when he becomes president because he would need them as a stick to scare the public and the mainstream politics.
The people would be facing not only Ahmed Shafiq and the old regime will be facing his Muslim allies or Muslim Brotherhood allies.
Never believe a word the Muslim Brotherhood says. Our friend here has told us so many lies defying facts, defying photographs, defying videos, mouthpieces as if we were stupid or we do not see, we do not hear, we do not understand. That is all utter rubbish.
I do not trust Ahmed Shafiq a bit but I do not trust the Muslim Brotherhood at all and they will bring Egypt into so much trouble with the Saudi establishment and worse is they will try to take the Islamic mentality all over the world and they will try to invade the mentality of Iran and the Iranians as well and we do not need that because all Egyptians now for example are for being one hand with Iran, even the Christians in Egypt want that. The Muslim Brotherhood will not do that.
Press TV: The final question, Adel Lotfy, and that is the agreement on the composition of the constituent assembly which is tasked with drafting of the constitution. Do you think that, that is a fairly well-balanced assembly, what have some saying it is Islamist versus the non-Islamist that there is a balance there?
Lotfy: First of all, I would like to say to my friend that I am a veteran writer and an academic. I am the last one who listens to the media.
I listen to it with my brain not with my ears like the average or street man. However, when we go to the constitutional committee, I think the isolation law will be found unconstitutional which is obvious because it has been tailored to suit the Muslim Brotherhood. The very obvious example is that they did not exclude ministers of the old regime.
MY/MSK/JR